Improved rudder



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. DEGGES, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVED' RUDDER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,293, dated April 28, 1863.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. DEGGEs, of the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement on Rudders for Vessels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and marks thereon.

My invention is more particularly designed for a class of vessels Where propellers are used in continued recesses throughout the length of the vessel, such vessels having pointed ends or ends like bows, With rudders at both ends, and designed to move With equal ease in each direction without turning the vessel.

In that class of vessels called monitors,

- and vessels that are subject to varying degrees of immersion, my invention also will be peculiarly applicable.

The drawings forming part of this specification showmy improvement affixed to the end of vessel having the continued recess in its sides heretofore named, Figure 1 being a side view of the end of such vessel, Fig 2 being an end view of such vessel, and Fig. 3 being a view by horizontal section through the end of the vessel and through the rudder.

In each of these figures, Where like parts are shown, like letters and marks are used to indicate the parts.

In order that this rudder a may exert the same influence on the vessel at the different degrees of immersion, I make it in all its parts of the same size, and' so that it will extend from the keel b to the under side of the deck c. It will be seen that this rudder tapers from its front dto its rear e; that its frontis rounded, fitting into a recess, f, in the post corresponding in its form to the circular line of the rudders front; that its lower end is pivoted in a plate, g, attached to the keel, While its upper end fits Within a space made for it in the deck of the vessel. It Will also be noticed that this rudder has a groove or depression in the line of its length, (marked L,) and that from the upper end of this groove the rudder extends upward in inclination corresponding to the inclination of this end of the vessel. The object of this groove h is to prevent the rudder being jammed or forced beyond a line at right angles to the keel of the vessel, as the groove at such line will iit against the edge of the rudders socket, as indicated by t' in Fig. 3, and as shown in red line in Fig. 2. The inclined upper face ofthe rudder, as it comes in. contact With the surface j of the vessel, also aids the rudder in maintaining the rightangled position here alluded to.

` This rudder may be solid or buoyant. Its taperingform is designed to be in the lines as it' they were continuous of the sides of the vessel,the rudder being a section of the vessel and extending back to the distan ce required. The Whole of this rudder will be under the vessel, and hence be fully protected, and will not be liable to be unshipped.

What I claim as my invention and as an improvement on rndders is- Constructing them of the form, and having the front surface and the groove at: its sides, as herein set forth.

This specification signed this 1st day of April, 1863.

W. H. DEGGES. Witnesses:

THos. T. EVERETT, JNO. S. HoLLINGsHEAD. 

